Practical Aspects – The Workspace

 So, you’ve made the decision that going out to work is no longer an option – maybe you have difficulties commuting, or the work environment is not a comfortable one for you, or the pressure to keep up with more able-bodied colleagues has just become too much. Well, that’s fine! Whatever the reason, there’s nothing wrong in admitting that there is another way to live your life, one that’s suited to you, because you are important. And besides, working from home is no longer the poor relation in the work-stakes; in fact, you’ll probably find a degree of envy from ex-colleagues who are still on the treadmill.

 I can say all this from experience.  Because of arthritis, I gave up full-time work in London, moved my four-legged family and myself to Cornwall, and now work part-time as a copy-editor and proofreader, and run my own Internet marketing business.

 One of the first things to consider is the practical aspect of working from home. This is about your workspace – whether you have the luxury of a room you can set aside as an office, a spare bedroom, or just a corner of the living room – some thought has to go into making this area as comfortable and accessible as possible. Only if you can be comfortable in your work environment, will you actually want to work!. Regardless of the type of arthritis you have, or the degree of disability, some requirements remain the same: 

¨                   A seat that works for you. Make sure it can be adjusted, not only the height, but also the angle of the backrest: does it have a neck rest? Does it have castors? (Castors are a nightmare on carpet, so an offcut of linoleum placed on the carpet makes it easier to move the chair around without straining your back.)

¨                   A footrest helps ease the strain on your back, or you can improvise with a pile of telephone directories.

¨                   Organise your desk space and have plenty of shelving for file storage – don’t use the floor, that’s a killer!

¨                   If you spend much time on the telephone, don’t tuck the phone into your shoulder and carry on typing: hold it to your ear with one hand, or get a set of headphones.

¨                   When writing at a desk, don’t lean forward. If possible, invest in a drafting table, or an angled work surface to reduce strain on your neck.

¨                   When working at a computer monitor, make sure the top third of the screen is at eye-level: attach a document holder to the screen so that you don’t have to keep bending your head: make sure your arms and wrists are parallel with the floor.

 This advice is, of course, common sense, but when you are starting a business from home, there is so much to think about and plan, that perhaps this part of the whole project can easily be overlooked. But this is also an investment in your business, as much as money or time spent, because – to state the obvious – if you’re unable to work because of the pain, then no amount of money or time will enable you to succeed!

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